Making Beauchemin's case for Norris Trophy

April 2, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 12:28 p.m.

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Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin has 21 points, only seven off the league lead for defensemen, and his plus-22 rating is only second to teammate and defense partner Sheldon Souray among all NHL defensemen. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin has 21 points, only seven off the league lead for defensemen, and his plus-22 rating is only second to teammate and defense partner Sheldon Souray among all NHL defensemen. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

ANAHEIM – The subject has come up on occasion with him and Francois Beauchemin immediately snickers. But the mere mention of his name with such a prestigious hockey award might elicit similar reactions from others.

Could the Ducks' tough-as-nails defenseman win the Norris Trophy as the league's best at his position? In what is easily the best season of his eight-year NHL career, Beauchemin's name has at least entered the discussion.

"Well, it should come up," said Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau, eagerly supporting his top blue-liner. "On what he's done and where we are in the standings and how much he plays and how important he is to us. All those factors.

"It doesn't come up because we're not in the East. He doesn't have a point a game. He's not on 'NHL Tonight' every night."

In that plea for his candidacy, Boudreau laid out why Beauchemin should be part of the Norris mix and why it is a long shot that the veteran will be among the finalists when all is said and done.

The timing could not be better. In a year when Ottawa's Erik Karlsson – the reigning winner – is injured and out for the season, Beauchemin offers strong and worthy credentials.

•He is the top-scoring defenseman on the Ducks, the current No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, and is on pace for his second-best offensive season despite there being only 48 games.

•His 21 points are only seven off the league lead for defensemen and his plus-22 rating is only second to teammate and defense partner Sheldon Souray among all NHL rearguards.

•Also ranks in the top 10 in blocked shots while playing in all 36 of the Ducks' contests. He plays over 23 minutes a game, which is down because of an improved defense that now has Souray and Bryan Allen.

"Quietly, I think his name should be up there," Allen said. "Definitely under consideration. I think the Norris Trophy is just kind of like the Hart (for MVP). It's what he means to our team. He's been huge for us."

The problem is he's Francois Beauchemin. He's not Zdeno Chara. Or Shea Weber. Not even Karlsson.

His game is also rock solid but never flashy. He also plays in Anaheim and not New York City, Boston, Montreal or Toronto – at least not Toronto anymore. Pittsburgh's Kris Letang, Minnesota's Ryan Suter and Montreal's P.K. Subban are seen as the leading contenders.

And that is just fine with the Quebec native.

"It doesn't matter," Beauchemin said, his French-Canadian accent still slipping through. "As long as the team wins. That's all that matters. I don't really care about what people say about me.

"It's great. I'll take it. But again, I don't consider myself a Norris Trophy guy. I just go out and work hard. Do whatever it takes to help the team wins."

The Ducks watched Beauchemin blossom alongside Scott Niedermayer in his first stint but also let him walk as a free agent in 2009 after a torn ACL lowered his dollar value in their eyes. He signed a big deal with Toronto but struggled under then-Leafs coach Ron Wilson.

But with the club's sharp defensive dropoff without the retired Niedermayer and the traded Chris Pronger, Ducks general manager Bob Murray saw fit to reacquire Beauchemin for the 2011 playoff push.

The cost was prized prospect Jake Gardiner and popular winger Joffrey Lupul and the trade sharply criticized among Ducks faithful. But at 32, Beauchemin has never been better and is balancing the scales of that deal.

His success can also no longer be attributed to playing with Niedermayer.

"I work really hard every day to try to be as best as I can on game days," Beauchemin said. "I think my game goes with the team. When the team is playing well, everybody looks good.

"It's not just one or two or three guys. When everybody knows what their doing on the ice, everybody looks better when you put in the effort. Just things seems to go my way.

He added: "I'm older. I've got more experience. I know the game more. I know the players more."

Teemu Selanne believes that Beauchemin is "playing as good as anybody in this league right now" and said his return to Anaheim in a trade reinvigorated the defenseman.

"Obviously this is a happy place for him," Selanne said. "Even in Toronto, he didn't look that happy there. He knows he's the guy here. He takes a lot of pride in that. He's hungry. He's a warrior every night.

"That's why I try to tell some young guys. If you're happy somewhere, don't try to go after the money. Because you play well, the money comes to you. That's the bottom line."

Selanne echoes others in his belief that Beauchemin would be a serious Norris candidate if he were playing in a major hockey market.

"If he would now be in Toronto and playing like that, (then) yes," he said. "But I don't think that's his goal. I think I know him and he tries to enjoy himself and play well.

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